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Adolescents who understand themselves as obese are 3 times extra more likely to contemplate committing self-harm in comparison with those that don’t, no matter whether or not the particular person is objectively obese, in response to a brand new research launched by The College of Texas at Arlington.
“What we found was that the perception of being overweight has a much stronger effect of suicidal ideation than the objective measure of weight,” mentioned Philip Baiden, an affiliate professor of social work at UTA and lead writer of the research.
Dr. Baiden performed the analysis with fellow UTA social work Affiliate Professor Catherine LaBrenz, together with researchers from UT Dallas, Texas Lady’s College, Florida Worldwide College, New York College, Simmons College and the College of Ghana.
“This finding ties neatly into recent calls to reconsider how accurate BMI is as a tool for diagnosing individuals as overweight or obese,” Baiden mentioned.
Revealed within the journal Psychiatry Analysis, the researchers examined knowledge from greater than 39,000 people age 14 to 18 obtained from the Heart for Illness Management and Prevention’s Youth Habits Threat Survey. It thought-about elements comparable to socioeconomic standing, household dynamics, educational pressures and antagonistic childhood experiences.
The pooled knowledge from 2015 to 2021 included each self-reported knowledge from adolescents in addition to info obtained from caregivers and college information. This complete method allowed researchers to determine the connection between weight perceptions and the elevated probability of psychological well being points.
“Even after adjusting for established suicidal ideation risk factors such as feelings of hopelessness, bullying, cyberbullying, substance use and demographic variables, we still found a connection between how adolescents feel about their weight and whether they are considering self-harm,” Dr. LaBrenz, a co-author of the research, mentioned. “We also found that females were more at risk than males at perceiving themselves to be overweight.”
The research additionally highlights the essential position of faculties, households and communities in creating supportive environments that may assist enhance adolescents’ self-perceptions, the previous as a result of they’ll supply psychological well being assets and foster a constructive and inclusive environment.
“By investing in preventive measures and early-intervention programs,” Baiden mentioned, “it is possible to reduce the long-term burden on the health care system and improve the quality of life for young people.”
Extra info:
Philip Baiden et al, Results of goal and perceived weight on suicidal ideation amongst adolescents: Findings from the 2015–2021 nationwide Youth Threat Habits Survey, Psychiatry Analysis (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116380
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